Mental health and well-being

Advice on effective mental health support for students and staff to create a happier, healthier campus. Find out how universities and academics can promote well-being, protect their campus community from spiralling stress, minimise the risk of burnout and build resilience - from institutional practices that create a culture of care to personal self-care tips and healthy habits for overworked academics and students.

By dene.mullen , 6 August, 2021

We must help our students make this a ‘summer of self-love’

It would be wise to keep an eye on our students over the coming months, as the period after lockdown typically brings intense emotional responses, says Bertus Jeronimus

By miranda.prynne , 23 July, 2021

Scaling up student support services

Suzanne Mitchell advises on how to scale up student support services, using technology that provides multiple communications channels and early warning systems to assist specialist staff teams

By miranda.prynne , 9 July, 2021

How universities can support students’ return to campus post-pandemic

Advice for welcoming students back to campus

Danielle McDonald and colleagues share advice on how universities can approach welcoming two student cohorts to campus for the first time, staying mindful of the vastly different attitudes among students relating to the post-pandemic transition

By dene.mullen , 8 July, 2021

My first post-Covid conference showed me we need to prep for the campus return

We must admit that things are and have been bad during the pandemic and realise that people are at different stages of comfort with others

At this conference, faculty were like the walking wounded, but we can and should learn from it because our students deserve our best selves, says Flower Darby

By miranda.prynne , 30 June, 2021

Three things to think about when returning to campus

Three things to consider ahead of returning to campus

Emily Walker puts forward three key considerations to help staff mentally prepare themselves for returning to a campus that may have a very different look and feel

By dene.mullen , 22 June, 2021

A student mental health crisis awaits. Here’s how we avoid a bad fall

Universities are heading for a mental health crisis following the pandemic, so they need to start preparing now

Extra funding should be requested now to staff up wellness centres, counselling centres and campus ministries, says Todd Zakrajsek

By dene.mullen , 16 June, 2021

Are online exams better for student mental health?

A stressed student prepares for an online exam. Assessment online brings a new set of problems for academics to be aware of

Traditional exams under tightly invigilated conditions are highly stressful for students, but online alternatives bring their own issues, says Michael Priestley

By dene.mullen , 14 June, 2021

Socialising is hugely important, but virtual campuses help learning, too

A female student logs in to a virtual campus.

The social elements of university help students succeed academically, so we must start transplanting them online, says Elizabeth Lehfeldt

By miranda.prynne , 7 June, 2021

How resetting motivations can help faculty achieve better teaching and well-being during challenging times

Advice on how faculty should be mindful of their attitudes in order to ensure better outcomes or reaction to challenges

Faculty members’ personal motivations impacted their attitudes towards meeting the challenges of the pandemic, and in turn, their well-being and teaching quality, research suggests

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4minutes

By dene.mullen , 7 June, 2021

Recognition of academia’s ‘invisible labour’ is long overdue

Time pressure. Many in academia are putting in huge numbers of hours that are not rewarded or even recognised

We must ensure that academic citizenship becomes a key part of our job descriptions, on par with teaching, research and management, say Shari Boodts and Fleur Jongepier

Mental health and well-being